A Stranger In The Rain

I remember one dark, rainy night,
Meeting a stranger without a name.

The heavens were literally pouring.
I had just left my favorite bar,
When I first saw him -
Wearing his expensive black suit without a rain coat or umbrella.
He was leaning against a nearby alley wall, flicking his lighter.

It seemed as though he was waiting for something to happen.
Suddenly, despite the rain,
The lighter created a perfect dark orange flame.
He lit himself a cigar,
Inhaling with great pleasure
Then exhaling the smoke in the shape of O's

Smiling.

Watching them disperse with glee.

I proceeded to be on my way, walking right past him.
He then spoke:

"Wonderful night isn't it?"

I knew nothing good would come out of me talking to him,
but for some reason I felt compelled to answer his simple question.

"If you enjoy the rain, then I would say it is."

I proceeded to walk away, but his answer drew my attention:

"This is my favorite type of weather!
I like to think that when it rains, the sins of the world get washed away!
It's so melancholic, that it reminds me of a story of a young man.
Would you like to hear it?"

It was cold.
I wanted to get home,
But his offer peaked my interest.

I thought to myself :
"What can one story hurt?"

I approached him once more,
staying hidden under my umbrella.

He started speaking
Telling me a morbid tale -

One of loneliness.
One of a world drowned in sorrow and despair.
One in which a happy end could not exist.

After he concluded his story he asked:
" So, what do you think?"

I stood there.
Pondering what to say.
Only one question came to mind at the time:

"Whats the moral?" I asked.

"Moral?"

"Yeah. Ever story has a moral right?"

He closed his eyes.
A smile, even larger than the one before, broke out on his face.

"Before you ask me about a moral, wouldn't you like to know what the story was about?"

"Well then, whats the story about?"

"Try guessing. It's not that hard to figure out."

I thought about it and answered:
"It sounded like some poor souls life story."

"Close. How about you give it another try.
I did mention it was the story of a young man."

I though about it for a minute or so, but nothing really came to mind
"...I don't know..."

He proceeded to quickly reply:
"It's the story of a life! Your life!
Didn't you realize as a child, that happiness and happy ends could only occur in fairy tales
and never for someone like you."

"..."

"Exposed at a young age to a world filled with injustice, brutality and hate.
You once cared too much about others, now not at all.
I'll stop since you know this all too well."

I was speechless at the time.
I couldn't muster up any kind of reply.

How did this stranger know all this about me?
Even so, what was the point of bringing all of those things to light?

All I could do was stare into his dark, cold eyes, in hope of some answer.
In them, I saw images that brought me even greater pain.
In his eyes, I saw my troubled past -
The things I could not forget.
The reasons why I stayed out all night to drink.

The images showered my mind like the heavy rain around me.
All that was left was the feeling...
The feeling of a sweet melancholy...
Unlike any other before it.

His eyes now became hollow as he proceeded to speak:
"Don't fret. It's a story I tell but once.
It was a story just for you -
The broken,
The cold,
The hopeless,
It was a story I bet you wanted to hear at least once in you life."

I remember my umbrella laid dropped at my side.
I stood there in the rain, letting myself get soaked,
Trying to regain some of my composure.

I was wondering if I was drunk or if I had maybe gone insane.
Since no stranger can just come up to me and speak of my pain as if it were some kind of twisted story.

"You said you wanted to hear a story, I hope I entertained you as much as you entertained me."
He started laughing -
I soon understood,
To him all of this was just a game.

Silence soon befell.
The rain was nearing it's finale.
The stranger gave me one last smile.
He then finally turned and proceeded to walked away.

"Who are you?" I managed to mutter out

"Who am I? I am just a stranger passing by -
To me this is all yet another hello and goodbye."

His final words echoed in my ears,
Until, he finally disappeared.

The rain soon after ended it's violent downpour.
I was once again alone.

I stood there for a minute wondering if it had all really happened.
I soon after went on my way.
Leaving that eerie alley.

Upon my exit I swear I heard the faint but cruel words:
"I'll keep your secrets safe until we meet again on your final day"